God Silhouetted

Think back over yesterday.

Did you, for even one moment, think about how you are made in God's image?

Such a lofty thought.

Even if we imagined the brightness of that truth, we would meet it with our own negative view of ourselves.

But I'm so...

Lauren D'Alessandro, co-founder of The You Are Project, writes, The amazing beauty He created in me is simply my portion of God's image that I can share with the world.

A staggering truth.

Oh, but she's only twenty-something. She'll learn like the rest of us that we are ugly or a failure or not worthy. Or will she?

Is it possible to retain the thought--the magnificent truth--that we are a silhouette of God's beauty, fearfully and wonderfully made by Him, unique and positively lovely to God Himself?

Ah, what a weekend that would be...to feel that beautiful.

It is yours for the choosing, my beautiful friend. Choose well.

Photographer: Stuart Kime

Remember That New Year's Resolution?

Before we get halfway through this year, do you remember your New Year's resolution(s)? If they fell off of your radar, you could revisit, revise, realign. I am remembering that I wanted 2012 to be more intentional. These were my thoughts:

Have you ever lost INTENTIONAL?

I lose IT often--in my eating, in my checkbook, in my daily time management.

Losing INTENTIONAL happens when we fail to plan in advance, so the saying comes true, "Life happens while we are making other plans."  I'm pretty sure life also happens while we are making NO plans.

God must like INTENTIONAL because He used it to make us.

People around us who live productive lives with less stress must know INTENTIONAL because it seems to be directing their lives, building the space around their day that sets boundaries, keeps to-do's within sane limits, and leaves margin for rest and relationship.

So, in 2012, I am going to resolve only one thing:  to find and keep INTENTIONAL as my daily shadow.  I want it with me as I pursue God, family and friends, church, writing, and other loves of my life.  I want it with me as I plan my eating, my exercise, and the inescapable mundane to-do's.

I hope INTENTIONAL is already your shadow.  If not, maybe we can find IT together.

Happy New Year's Eve.

And now, happy May 24th, 2012. I am going to at least be intentional about remembering!

Live Like A King

Based on a true story...

God comes to you in a dream and says, What can I give you? Just ask.

And you say--

(a) Long life

(b) Riches

(c) The doom of your enemies

(d) A God-listening heart

Yep, multiple choice. Because implicit in God's question is His check of your heart. Can you zero in on one and let go of the others? I wonder if I would fail the test.

But lucky for us, in hindsight, Solomon did not. In 1 Kings 3, God indeed comes to him in a dream with that very question and, without hesitation, Solomon asks for one thing: a God-listening heart so that, as king, he can lead people well.

We are king over ourselves--we lead ourselves--so wouldn't we be wise to ask for the same?

Here's the interesting part: since Solomon answered well, God threw in the wealth and glory he didn't ask for and raised him up to be the greatest king in history.

Dream well, answer well.

Live like a king.

Neglect Is Not Benign

If you Google benign neglect, entries appear across a wide spectrum, from policy to parenting.

The phrase itself is entered into an online dictionary.

But neglect is anything but benign.

In any important relationship, between spouses, friends, or co-workers, neglect has a price to pay.

Neglect means one has chosen to not pay attention to that which needs exactly that--one's attention.

It is, in fact, arrogant and malignant because it leads to decay of the relationship.

Neglect has feet. It walks away from someone who needs attention, putting sometimes unrecoverable distance between two people, then whines about what it has lost.

Perhaps most significantly, it reflects the opposite of God's nature in a relationship, for He is attentive, loving and always present.

May our feet dust off the temptation to neglect.

Dear Young Moms

This month we have remembered all things mom.

It is the heaviest of burdens and the greatest of joys to be a mom.

Young moms, in particular, feel frantic at times because there is the weight of a thousand tasks for little ones while balancing the deep thought of where they hope they are leading those in their charge.

I care about the inevitable day when young moms will look back, and I want that day to be as satisfying and regret-free as possible.

So get a cup of coffee and join me, young moms, for a few thoughts about your future look back.

Feel valued and strong in your journey of all journeys.

We Graduated

It's a big graduation weekend, in fact, it's a big graduation month.

Kids are graduating from kindergarten, eighth grade, high school, college.

Each one has in common an end...and a beginning.

It's an interesting thought that we all graduated--from yesterday. All of yesterday's doubts, failures and regrets are left behind in the promise of today.

What can we do differently today that will move us into new territory?

First of all, pause.

There's always a pause between graduating and beginning again, whether one is leaving kindergarten or high school.

So between yesterday and today, pause.

Then, ask for help.

Kids ask for help because they know the new level of schooling comes with challenges.

So will our today.

We graduated--from yesterday. Congratulations!

In the pause and the asking for help, our future is bright. Move forward with confidence into today.